The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-10-27
A POLITICAL TRICK.

Undoubtedly the anti Utah faction
led by Chief Justice Zane, think they
are performing very clever trick in The
Third District Court just now. The
other day the deputy marshals were
armed with an open venire and sent
jurors. They are similarly armed and
dispatched at every term of the court.
But on this occasion there was radical
departure from the rule heretofore fol-
lowed. In the past the officers have
been instructed to carefully avoid
sUmmoning Mormon for jury service,
as members of that faith would
not be accepted to try cases in
the Third District Court. Most faithfully
have the deputies obeyed instructions,
panel after panel being formed without
the name of a Mormon appearing in
the list. When this latest Yenire was
issued there came with it instructions
to the officers to steer clear of Gentiles
and conine their designations and
summonses exclusively to Mormons. If
the deputies had been particular before
to obey orders they were equally so
now. People were astonished beyond
measure upon reading the list of names
of jurors to find only those OF Mormons
or of young men of Mormon parentage.
Those familiar with the trickery of the
anti Utah clique wondered what was
in the wind. They knew that some
contemplate game was contem
plated, and waited its develop
ment. They knew that Mormons
would never have been chosen for jury
duty unless some sharp practice were
on foot. The conundrum was solved
when the Normons presented them
selves in obedience to the summons and
an oath was read to them. It was
not the oath prescribed by the statute
as framed by the Utah Commission, nor
yet the oath which was originally for
mulsted by the Chief Justice and used
in HE court, but the oath made up by
the political authorities" otherwise
known as the leaders OF the Loyal
League. and adopted by Judge Zane as
being more offensive to the Mormons
than the one he had prepared ia accord
anee with the wording OF the
statute. 1t was not believed that
the Mormons would take the "po-
itioal authorities cath, which by q
cunning wording and Interpolation |
undertakes to commit the subscriber to |
a refusal of obedience to divine Ievela- |
ton. 1t was expected that the Mormons |
would refuse to take the oath, when |
their refusal would be used for political |
purposes; it being made to appear that |
notwithstanding the homogeneous Nor |
mons had voted for State Constitution |
forbidding pOlygamy these same Nor |
mons would not promise to refrain from |
the practice of polygamy if they felt it |
to be their religious duty to marry more |
wives than one. THE HERALD ventures |
the guess that the Associated Press has |
already been employed to use this Incl
dent in opposition to the Statehood
movement. The political authorities"
chuckle every time Mormon |
refuses to take the irregular |
and distorted oath, because they see in
it chance to sllege that the people |
were not honest and sincere in their |
vote on the polygamy -forBidding Con-
stitution. The trick is as cunning as it |
is contemplate, and is worthy those |
engaged in It,
Not one of the 1900 men who voted |
fer the Constitution would refuse to |
take the oath prescribed by the Federal |
Statute. Not one of. the Mormons who
have lately bean ruled off the jury be-
cause they refused to take the political |
authorities" oath has any intention of |
violating the Edmunds-Tucker act. |
Both these facts are well understood, |
and yet this trick is c!everly
and deliberately palyed in order
to get the Mormons into q |
seemingly false position, and use that
position against them politically. The
scheme may succeed with some who
are not familiar with the facts of the
two oaths, but it will not influence
those who are acquainted with the law
and can distinguish between promise
to obey the law and an oath to repudi.
ate divine revelation.
SALT LAKE cannot boom much while |